Publication | Closed Access
Games with a Purpose
960
Citations
0
References
2006
Year
Game AiOnline GamingGame TheoryPervasive GameEducational GameMechanism DesignGame DesignCognitive ScienceOnline GamesGame StudiesDesignUser ExperienceSuch GamesLarge-scale Computational ProblemsGame AnalyticsGame StudyStrategyGamesPerformance StudiesSocial ComputingBusinessHuman-computer InteractionArtsBrain Power
Online games harness collective human computation to solve large‑scale problems, functioning as a general mechanism akin to algorithm design and applied across security, computer vision, Internet accessibility, content filtering, and search. The study aims to design games that both solve problems correctly and remain enjoyable for players.
Through online games, people can collectively solve large-scale computational problems. Such games constitute a general mechanism for using brain power to solve open problems. In fact, designing such a game is much like designing an algorithm - it must be proven correct, its efficiency can be analyzed, a more efficient version can supersede a less efficient one, and so on. "Games with a purpose" have a vast range of applications in areas as diverse as security, computer vision, Internet accessibility, adult content filtering, and Internet search. Any game designed to address these and other problems must ensure that game play results in a correct solution and, at the same time, is enjoyable. People will play such games to be entertained, not to solve a problem - no matter how laudable the objective